Richard Curtis writes script for Netflix animation

that christmas The story begins with a familiar dilemma: Christmas Eve has arrived, and Santa Claus must overcome inclement weather while delivering his much-anticipated gifts.

We meet the benevolent legend, voiced by Brian Cox, as he weathers a severe winter storm with high winds and low visibility. A terrible illness leaves him with only one reindeer (Guz Khan) to pull the sleigh. The relationship between the two was so tense that Santa Claus at one point threatened to get a self-driving car next winter. Although odds are stacked against our hero, the happiness of children around the world—especially those in the fictional British coastal town where the story is set—depends on whether he can overcome them.

Premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, that christmas is a charming animation made by Locksmith (Ron was wrong) This is ready to become a classic. It’s easy to turn your nose up at the arrival of a new Christmas movie. True holiday cheer is hard to imagine, and if you’re not the target audience for Hallmark-style sweet talk, holiday meals are likely to inspire more anger than joy. But this adaptation by Peter Souter and Richard Curtis of the latter’s children’s book series deftly avoids the usual sentimentality, rooting its whimsical story in the real and stinging emotions of life.

Directed by Simon Otto (How to train your dragon), the Netflix production boasts a strong voice cast and manages to find a middle ground between the winking self-awareness and the suspension of disbelief that drives all Christmas stories. This is Curtis’ first foray into animation, and although the characters are digitally rendered, the story taps into the same authentic energy that made his earlier work so beloved.

similar love, actually (There’s a funny cameo here), that christmas Observe how the lives of several people parallel and intersect. In narration, Santa introduces us to Wellington-on-Sea, a tight-knit multicultural British enclave that becomes the center of one of his most challenging Christmases. His story begins a few days before the festival, with local children taking to the stage to perform three smart womena wild and progressive performance of a play about the Three Kings.

The production, a collaboration between outspoken 15-year-old director Bernadette (India Brown) and her harried friend Sam (Zazie Hayhurst), features contemporary cover songs and replaces shepherds with organic vegetable farmers . It’s a rebuttal to the past and a vision for a radical and more sustainable future. It’s also a chaotic disaster that doubles as an effective showcase for this interlocking narrative protagonist.

Danny (Jack Wisniewski), the new kid in town, is at the center of all other plots. He’s infatuated with Sam, but their respective personalities – she’s anxious, he’s shy – mean they may be destined to fall in love from afar.

When young Danny isn’t daydreaming about Sam, he fantasizes about spending Christmas with his father, whom he looks forward to visiting for the holiday. The boy lives to distract himself, especially since his mother (Jodie Whittaker) works around the clock as a nurse. There is a good clue that christmas The final focus is on the budding friendship between Danny and his neighbor and teacher Ms. Trapper (Fiona Shaw), a cantankerous woman who makes the Grinch seem affable.

While Danny struggles with loneliness and the emotional fallout from her parents’ divorce, Sam worries that her twin sister Charlie is on a mission to prank her and will ruin her chances of getting a gift from Santa. Charlie’s pranks, which humiliate her sisters and anger their parents (Rosie Caballero and Andy Nyman), feature some of the film’s most powerful scenes and humorous lines that help sustain The overall comedic tone of the film.

Elsewhere in town, Bernadette and her sister Evie (Bronte Smith) are chatting with their parents, the hilarious McNutts (Lori Adefope and Rhys Darby) and Some family and friends are getting ready for the holidays together. Coupled with the investment in acting, the diversity of these characters—both in appearance and personality—helps to liven up the atmosphere that christmasmaking it a movie that still delivers surprises.

Bernedette’s parents and their friends (Mrs. Mulji, voiced by Sindhu Vi, and the Forresters, voiced by Alex McQueen and Katherine Parkinson) are out of town for a wedding. Only then did the action really begin. For some, celebrating their wedding so close to Christmas is a bold choice, but adults eager to spend some time with their children are fleeing the island.

Never mind that school is canceled because of snow or gray fog in the distance. It wasn’t until after the wedding, when the parents learned that the ferry was no longer running, that they realized the reality before them: Weather patterns would make the return more difficult, possibly forcing them to miss Christmas with their families.

For all narrative concerns, that christmas It rarely feels like it’s cheating on any of the characters or their arcs. Sometimes you can tell the film is an amalgamation of different books, but for the most part, Curtis and Suter’s script moves confidently between threads. This deft approach reinforces the impression that this Christmas story is indeed a portrait of community. An effort was made to capture the essence of the neighborhood and make it more receptive to more fantasy elements, or design-leaning moments.

Otto makes the most of its 91-minute running time, so that christmas The pacing never feels abrupt or disjointed. The attention to detail – from how diligently the man who keeps the lighthouse (Bill Nighy) changes the town’s proclamations every day, to the long-simmering feuds between different citizens – makes the film feel immersive and engaging. This fictional village is full of life.